Colourful costumes, compulsively singable tunes and a storyline lifted straight from the Bible – what’s not to love about Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat?
Align Entertainment is bringing the popular Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice musical to the stage in Burnaby starting this weekend.
Joseph opens at the Michael J. Fox Theatre on Friday night, running to Nov. 19.
Director Chad Matchette, in the fast-and-furious final week of rehearsals, is brimming over with enthusiasm about the production.
“It’s just such a fun show,” he says.
For those unfamiliar with the show, it’s set in ancient Egypt and based on the biblical story of Joseph (Stuart Barkley) and his 11 brothers, centring on the hero’s rags-to-riches journey and his coat of many colors.
The production marks the theatre company’s first foray into a two-production season. The Coquitlam-based company started life with a February 2014 production of Shrek: The Musical, following that up with The Addams Family in 2015 and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang this past February.
This year, the company is staging Joseph this month and looking ahead to The Little Mermaid in February 2017.
With Joseph, the company is offering up a musical that may be more familiar to audiences than its somewhat offbeat choices of the past. But Matchette notes the musical still fits the company’s criteria for family-friendly shows that have roles for kids.
And he pointed out it’s been nearly seven years since Joseph was seen on a Lower Mainland stage – although, that particular year, there were three productions around the region.
“I think the community was a little Josephed out there for awhile,” he says with a laugh.
But he points out that there’s a new generation of kids and teens who’ve grown up since and who’ve never had a chance to see the show live.
He’s confident that local audiences will embrace this large production, with its 20-member kids’ chorus and 28 adult performers.
Matchette and his team – he’s joined by Kevin Michael Cripps as musical director and Melissa Turpin as choreographer - are bringing the kids’ chorus more into the action than is typical of the musical. While the chorus is often kept off to the side or separated from the action, he’s chosen to incorporate the kids into the storyline, involving them more deeply as the play goes on.
“We try to get them involved as much as they can,” he explains.
He’s also thrilled with the depth of talent that Align Entertainment has assembled once again. With a storyline that’s completely sung through – there are only three lines of spoken dialogue in the show – the musical demands more of its performers than it seems.
Matchette notes that isn’t a problem for his cast, which is populated by a great deal of emerging talent – young up-and-coming new professionals who’ve graduated from Capilano University’s musical theatre program.
Featured alongside Barkley are Katie-Rose Connors as the Narrator, Justin Lapena as Pharaoh, Robin Sukorokoff as Jacob, Ryan Koch as Potiphar and Erin Matchette as Mrs. Potiphar.
Burnaby actors Jesse Alvarez, Stef Stanley and Sherry Freeman are also in the cast.
“Pretty much everyone in the cast is amazing,” Matchette says.
He notes the music in the show represents a huge range of styles, offering something for just about every taste.
And, of course, the music is paired with energetic choreography and vibrant, colourful costumes and sets – the perfect show for young audience members. So if your four- or five-year-old is the kind of kid who can sit still in a theatre, this may be the perfect chance to introduce them to the world of the Broadway musical.
“It’s big, it’s colourful, the music is fast, the staging is fun. There’s certainly lots to look at,” Matchette says. “This whole show just makes you happy.”
CHECK IT OUT:
WHAT: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, presented by Align Entertainment
WHEN: Nov. 4 to 19. Shows are Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.
WHERE: Michael J. Fox Theatre, 7373 MacPherson Ave.
HOW MUCH: Tickets are $27 for students and seniors, $39 for adults, with all tickets $25 on Thrifty Thursdays. School matinees are also on at noon on Nov. 7 and 18, with $15 tickets.
MORE INFO: Check out www.alignentertainment.ca.
